Another Step Toward Mobilization: Putin Grants Defense Ministry Access to Civil Registry Data for Military Registration

Under the pretext of simplifying support for military personnel and their families, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has granted the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian National Guard access to civil registry data for military registration purposes.

This was reported by the Russian news agency RBC.

The law amends Article 13 of the federal law “On Civil Status Acts.” Under the amendments, the Ministry of Defense and its regional offices will be able to obtain information from the registry to promptly provide the prescribed social guarantees and compensation to military personnel, veterans, and their family members.

In addition, the data will be used for military registration purposes.

The Russian National Guard has also been granted the right to request information necessary for providing social benefits to military personnel and agency employees, civilian staff, as well as citizens discharged from service in the National Guard and their family members. The law grants similar powers to commanders of military units.

This indicates further preparations for mobilization in Russia, which is scheduled for the fall amid the inability to recruit the necessary number of soldiers through regular recruitment.

Indeed, in the first quarter of 2026, the influx of new recruits in Moscow and the regions declined by an average of one-third compared to the same period in 2025.

This has already led to a shortfall of approximately 5% in the annual recruitment plan for contract military service, whereas in previous years these targets were exceeded.

To maintain the pace of the offensive on the front lines, the Russian command had to reduce the number of divisions being formed in the strategic reserve. Instead, service members are being sent to the front lines to replenish losses in existing units and formations.

In June, specialized training sessions for Russian officials from various regions on conducting mass mobilization were reported.

To this end, a preliminary assembly point for citizens subject to mobilization, a summons delivery point, a point for receiving and transferring equipment, as well as a training headquarters for alerting and conducting defense measures were set up in the Volgograd region.

Participants included representatives from the Astrakhan and Rostov regions, Kalmykia, as well as the temporarily occupied Crimea and the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.